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Another year has gone by, seemingly all too quickly, and I spend the first few minutes of this, the first podcast of 2016, talking about some of the cool things I was able to take part in in the 2nd half of 2015.But the crux of this episode is in the 2nd half, where I talk about my friend Seth Greenwell. In fact, I'm issuing a challenge to everyone I know, whether they listen to this podcast or not. (By the way, you can stream or download the podcast episode at the bottom of this post.)I'm turning 40 years old on February 6th. However, for my birthday this year, I don't want gifts or a huge party. I decided to make this milestone birthday a milestone for someone else. I'm asking my friends and family to commit to donating to Global Teen Challenge for my friend, Seth Greenwell, who is directing a Teen Challenge center in Fiji. Seth's story is explained in the podcast episode, but let me give you the short version.Seth and I led worship together at our church. He moved away to pursue a relationship, but it went south, and he moved back, but he fell in with the wrong crowd and fell into a life of alcoholism -- and he fell hard.Eventually, he saw the damage is alcoholism was causing, and he entered a Teen Challenge program in Joplin, Missouri. He not only made it through the program and was delivered of his addiction, but he was asked to stay on as a staff member. Eventually, he was selected to be the director of a new Teen Challenge center in Fiji, which opened in early 2015.Fiji has a major problem with people losing their livelihood to the black hole of substance abuse and addiction, and Seth, as a graduate of the Teen Challenge program and now a member of its staff, has been assigned the role of director over a center in Fiji that just started within the last 12 months. All the funding that Seth needs in order to operate that facility -- including his living expenses -- is received in the form of donations. My wife and I have been supporting his efforts since we heard about his new assignment, but there's only so much that we can do because of our finances, and we've wanted to do more.This, I thought, would be a great way to do that.This year, for my 40th birthday, instead of giving me a present, buying me a gift card, or even sending me a simple greeting card, I'm asking everyone to instead make a donation in Seth Greenwell's name to Global Teen Challenge.Here's how you can help.1. Make a donation straightaway.You can go to the Donation page on Global Teen Challenge's website and make a donation right now. At the bottom of the form, in the dropdown menu asking for gift designation, select "Specific Projects", and in the space provided, write in "Fiji - Seth Greenwell". They will make sure your donated funds are assigned to the Fiji center for its operation.2. Commit to helping, then flood the coffers on Saturday, February 6th.I think it would be a fantastic idea to give Seth a large number of donations from multiple donors all at once. So one thing you could do is commit to giving a certain amount on Saturday, February 6th. Just go to the event page I've set up on Facebookand leave a comment with how much you'd like to donate, or just say "general donation" if you don't want to disclose how much you're giving.3. Spread the word.I can only do so much on my own, but if all of you help spread the word about this in your social media circles, or to people you know aren't connected with you online, there's no telling who among the people you know have a heart to help an organization like this. Like I said, any amount will help, so please spread the word on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Twitter, your own personal blog, anything you feel will help get more people involved. Together, I believe we can do something miraculous.Why am I not setting up a GoFundMe campaign or something similar?Frankly, I don't want any of the money to come through my hands. This way, everyone donates directly to Global Teen Challenge, and nobody has to wonder if any of the money is going to be swallowed up by administrative fees or anything like that.Now, as promised, here it is, Episode 3 of The Back Burner Podcast. Stream it or download it, however you like. Thanks!

There Is No Box. Zach

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So I've learned one thing about writing a blog series: plan better. For instance, don't try to write the last installment the week before Easter when you work at a church full-time. That's just a losing proposition.

Here we are. The pinnacle. The peak. The top of the mountain, the best of the best.The Top 10 Christian Albums of the 1990s. Forget AC/pop radio, because you're not going to hear mid-30s mommy music here. Unless you were a mid-30s mommy in the '90s and actually listened to this stuff. Then it's totally yours. But these albums, to me, are the most beloved, most artistic, most groundbreaking, most creative, and most important albums from that decade, and they span from the very beginning of the 1990s to the very end.

Last year, I created my first Top 10 (+1) list, and it was of my favorite games. Games that I would want to play any chance I could game, that I think everyone ought to try at least once, games that I would probably never get sick of. Since that time, I've been exposed to a few dozen other games. I acquired more than 15 games at one game convention alone (Geekway To The West in St. Louis, Missouri), and others through various channels, and I played more games this year than I think I ever have before. Being relatively new in the hobby, my sample size is still pretty small.

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With this list, I decided to include 3 Honorable Mentions, because there are just too many games out there that deserve the praise I can't give in a Top 10 (+1) list. I thought about doing a Top 20, but . . . no.

When the clock finally strikes midnight on this list, my hope is that those who read this series will be inspired to check out some of the albums listed here, and thus find out more about the goodness of God. Yeah, the music is an example of great, quality musicianship and stellar production, but there are truths about the nature of God inherent in the very music itself. If nothing else, we have an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Father with our eyes completely shut.

So, here we go. Continuing the count with #40.

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